Mayor appoints new council member

A part-time professor has been appointed to the Tonganoxie City Council.

Mayor Jason Ward appointed Kara Reed to the remaining term of Dennis Bixby, who was sworn in Monday morning as the Leavenworth County Commission.

The city council approved, 4-0, Reed’s appointment.

Bixby’s term expires in spring 2015.

Reed, 39, also is treasurer for the Tonganoxie Public Library Board. She grew up in suburban Memphis, Tenn., and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Wyoming in Laramie before returning to her hometown where she earned a master’s degree in vertebrate zoology from the University of Memphis.

Reed is a part-time college biology instructor at Kansas City College Community College.

She and her husband, Aaron, have two children, Bryn, 10, a fifth-grader at Tonganoxie Middle School, and Grant, who is 4.

Reed, who came to Tonganoxie in 2004, said she wants to help the city move forward.

“I want to be part of the growth and prosperity of Tonganoxie,” Reed said.

She especially has interest in the city working with community organizations.

“I would like to see continued and perhaps increased communication between the city entities and community groups,” she said.

Bixby, who was elected in 2011, read a letter before exiting the council. He said he was honored to have served on the council.

“I have worked hard to promote growth, keep spending to a minimum, improve quality of life and keep taxes from increasing,” he said.

Bixby was elected in November to the Leavenworth County Commission as the District 3 representative.

“As a commissioner, I will continue to serve in the best interest of Tonganoxie,” he said. “As a board member of the Mid-America Regional Council, I will continue to promote southern Leavenworth County as a great place to live and invest.

“I will remain active in the community that has been so very good to me and my family.”

Ward presented Bixby with a plaque for his service.

“I want to congratulate and thank him for the good work he’s done for our city,” Ward said.

In other business, the council:

• Approved, 4-0, payment of $6,300 to Alexander Open Systems for website development; $137,511 to Conrad Fire Equipment for air packs, a FEMA grant-funded purchase.

$22,657 to Honeycreek Disposal Service for January solid waste disposal; $2,739 to Leavenworth County Probation Office for 2013 first-quarter payment; $28,175 to Midwest Public Risk for December health benefits; $28,175 to Midwest Public Risk for Property Liability Insurance for January to June 2013; $2,012 to the state treasurer for December municipal court fees; $7,665 to Westar Energy for monthly electric bills and street lights; and $5,000 to Tonganoxie Chamber of Commerce for annual support.

• Met in executive session for 20 minutes to discuss trade secrets of a third party with City Administrator Nathan McCommon, City Attorney Mike Kelly and assistant city administrator Jennifer Jones-Lacy.

• Approved, 5-0, employee merit raises for 2013. The raises are for 2.5 percent and will go into effect for the first pay period of 2013, which will be paid Friday. The raises will amount to $37,076.

• Approved, 5-0, a one-year contract for $25,000 with Link-Lite of Shawnee to perform IT upgrades.